Is it normal for aquilegia plants to die off so soon after flowering?

The plants were lovely and flowered really well, but have now finished flowering, and the plants seem to be dying off even though it's only early June (I would expect them to die off later in the year, to come again next year). Four of the plants are newly planted this year, but one has been there for several years and comes back each year with no problems until now. I live in the north east of England. My garden is roughly north-west facing and the plants are in full sun in the morning and in shade in the afternoon. The soil is clay.

Answers

The flowering stems die back, often with some of the leaves as well. Cut down any dead stalks or stems and leave them to rest and recover from the effort of flowering. The other reason it's best to cut the spent flower stems off is so the plant doesn't have to put all its efforts into making seed.